


Researching Love

by irishmochi



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: 3 Years Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anniversary of Deaths, Cheating, Emotional Hurt/ Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy near the end, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Later M-Content, Possible OOC Burnet and Kukui, Possibly Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-20 21:26:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9516896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irishmochi/pseuds/irishmochi
Summary: It had been too long, an overdue visit, to her home.Last time she was in the region, the funerals left her too broken to want to come back. She sold her childhood home, sent her parent’s items, the ones she could not keep, to her aunties, and fled to her work, in the farthest points of Mt. Moon.Would Kukui still be waiting for her, garbed in his silly hat, and never ending sunshine?Oh right, she remembered, He's married.Upcoming:Chapter 3: Rememberance, and Grave Greetings





	1. On her way home | His frustration mounting

**Author's Note:**

> Its been a while since I've written one of these, so let's see how this goes!

Plane rides, were annoying, she decided. 

Of course, her travels home wouldn't be so simple, the plane ride from Kanto to Sinnoh would take at least 7 hours, and the boat ride would take another 6 just to arrive to Alola. 

It had been too long, an overdue visit, to her home. 

Last time she was in the region, the funerals left her too broken to want to come back. She sold her childhood home, sent her parent’s items, the ones she could not keep, to her aunties, and fled to her work, in the farthest points of Mt. Moon.

With her research complete in Kanto, as much as she can until Oak sent her his files, Her decision to return home was….uncalculated. Where would she stay? How would she find him?

Ah, she notes, he’s moved on, now that she painfully remembers the countless emails, detailing the wedding. It was petty to ignore him, yes, but she wouldn't have survived the wedding, her heart aches at the thought. 

The better question would be, what would she do when he finds out she’s coming home?

Maybe, she should stay in Sinnoh, she reckoned, her research could be brushed up, and Hoenn was nearby, she could easily make accommodations with Birch, and edit her research there. 

But then, does she want to? Her heart painful drops in her chest, she owed it to her parents to visit, their graves must be in a sorry state, being ignored by a sorry excuse for a daughter. 

It was going to be the anniversary soon, anyways, and her tears, though unshed that day, painfully stung behind her eyes. They had happily lived and died together doing what they loved the most. T’was a shame the boat capsized. 

She had just finished her island trial when they vanished from her life. Their bodies were discovered with the craft, out at sea by the seamen at Poni Island. She thanked them for their aid before she left the island, never did she stop and apologize to the two boys, for her next actions. She sent a letter to both, otherwise she left without saying goodbye. Kukui’s face was unbearable, in tears, she had noted, and seeing him cry again that week would have crushed her. 

As the plane touched down, her heart broke with knowing, she had to face Alola, and stop being a coward; her parents were waiting. 

On the boat, she edited her research, and procrastinated on sending Kukui an email. They were both professors, sure, childhood friends too, but he was always good at leaving her lost at words. She stared at the laptop with broken apologies and fumbly writing until she gave up. If he was going to know she was in town, she would visit personally. 

Reflecting back on her other friend, Guzma; she found out last year that he was into gang activity for the last 3 years. It saddened her to hear, but she knew that he was doing what he thought was right. Perhaps his warped mental state could be mended with a visit?

She shook her head, no need to overplan her short stay. She wouldn't let herself get sidetracked. She was here for her parents. Kukui, Guzma, and Old man Hala, they weren't her main focus. She would only allow herself this small vacation for only 2 short weeks. It had been years since she took an official break from her work, and even then, documenting the pokemon behaviors she encountered while here would still be done. 

After that finalizing thought, she fell asleep, uneasy about her upcoming visit. 

Awaking with a start, the woman grabbed her bags, her research had tripled her usual suitcase load, and with no official laboratory, her on the move attitude, and worker bee mentality, left her with 3, heavy suitcases. Happily, she released one of her many aids, her pokemon pal Greninja from her days in Kalos, was strong enough to help her carry her things out of the boat, and to her hotel.

Arriving on Akala Island was a gamble, she knew Kukui preferred Melemele Island, but had not recounted where his lab was. Hopefully, her journey to the hotel would be stealthy, under the guise of a tourist. Not using her trial pokemon, Deducieye would prove fruitful, after all, a wise onlooker would recognize him. With Beach hat and sunglasses on, she traversed her way over to the Tide Song Hotel.

Her research funds would never be able to afford the Hano Grand Resort, so her stay was barely made to the Tide Song Hotel in Heahea City. Both were costly, but the Hano reserved guests not only years in advance, but required much more, for shorter notice. Admittedly, it was only a week ago that she picked herself off of the mountains of the Hoenn region in order to make it in Alola in time. She would lay low for today, adjust to the climate, and possibly go shopping, before stopping by the graves on the exact anniversary, tomorrow. After that, she would spend her time on Poni Island, locating the Seamen who aided her, and spend her time chasing a legend or two. The Altar of the Moone was a fascinating place, and pokemon are said to locate there during the full moon, which was occurring next week. Her studies could be made by then, and afterwards, she could have some downtime at the hotel before hitching a boat back to Sinnoh. Now, if she stuck to the plan, she was golden. Of course, with her line of work, plans never occurred as they should. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Kukui was aggravated to say the least. After this morning, their argument, and his sore shoulder from Poliwrath’s Hydropump, he was well past frustrated. It didn't help that the anniversary of her parents was coming up, tomorrow, making this week start off dreary and angering. 

His own parents were never big in his life, so Kukui took solace with (Y/N)’s parents, their tales of the other regions filling the young boy with wonder. The girl became his closest friend, alongside Guzma, and the three, together finished their Island trials, competitively. His Incineroar was chosen because she picked Rowlet, after all, he couldn't let his old crush beat him in a poké battle that easily. Her absence over the last 10 years was upsetting, even more so with little to no responses to his emails. She missed his wedding! Some best friend!

He sighed, visiting the folks always did this to him, and with Burnet snapping at him and being so distant, on top of his recent due date for Oak this Sunday, he would be lying if he said he wasn't losing it.

If only she would visit, but that bridge was burned. He said some nasty things to her, when he discovered she left without saying goodbye, how could he not, she broke his heart. 

He thought Burnet had made him whole again, their 2 years of dating, and now 2 of marriage had seemed, at first, the right idea. It felt right, at the time, and as a lonely, broken 20 something, he fell for her charms. 

But now, in this second year of marriage, he hardly sees her. Her research is to blame, sure, after all his took up his time as well, but, not seeing his wife for 2 weeks straight, and then being reprimanded for being a tad upset about it was nuts. They may work on different islands, (whose idea was that?! Oh yeah, her’s), but that was no excuse. This was the 6th time, and he was not up for excuses. They were getting longer too, the gaps in between visits. He joked, bitterly, that (Y/N) would visit before his own wife would. 

Maybe he should make a lab visit? No, he had too much to do, the grave visit tomorrow would take up time as well, and he still had more trials with Poliwrath to complete. He didn’t have to repeat the test more than 5 times, but Kukui was always an overachiever with his research, double checking his findings and physically taking a draco meteor to the face repeatedly, for science. 

He hoped his work ethic would guarantee his trials be done by tomorrow morning.


	2. Night Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Insights from both (Y/N) and Kukui, the night before the anniversary of her parent's deaths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the belated update. This is just a little update, and next chapter will have more plot advancement, promise!

Kukui loved his pokemon like his family. Poliwrath wasn’t always his, another addition during his adventures beyond Alola, and one he had grown fond of. 

His recollection of their times together paused due to...everything. His mind raced with thoughts, reminders, memories.

(Y/N) may be across the world from him, and he may be married, but she still haunted his thoughts. Her sarcasm invaded his thoughts, and her piercing (e/c) eyes haunted his dreams.

It wasn't like he wasn't happy to be with Burnet, she was there when (Y/N) wasn't, but, in moments like this, where Burnet was distant, the old ache for her reappeared. Nowadays, it felt constant, and he blamed the anniversary for it. The folks were so kind to him, their welcoming presence brought him not only joy, but a home to return to. 

Shaking his head, as memory lane could wait till tomorrow, or well, later today he realized. The clock read 3:45. Shaking his head, he clambered onto his pull-out mattress in the lab, set an alarm for 7:00am, and passed out. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Sleep was never a routine for (Y/N). Shopping wasn’t either, but she had missed the fashion taste her mother had, and seeing the stores not only brought nostalgia, but the thought of hopefully appeasing her mother’s spirit in the smallest way, as she hasn’t had a variety of clothes besides lab coats, sweats, and the occasional pencil skirt and suit for meeting the executives. 

Alola’s fashion was glamourous, yet tasteful, and the dress she bought only brought happy memories with it. She almost wished Kukui would see her in it tomorrow, however she begged that it was disguising, alongside her beach hat. 

However none of that mattered to her now, under the guise of jet lag, (one she repeated to herself) that her eyes wearily watched over her balcony, over Alola. The haze of guilt and mourning left her eyes not only sad, but heavy and tiring, but her unwavering fear of nightmares left her leaning heavily against one of the outdoor chairs. Shaking her head, she picked herself off the chair and into her room, the sliding door coming to a close behind her, she sat against the bed and looked over to the dress, far across the room on the dresser. 

She hadn't noticed her slow succumb into dreamland, but soon her tumble left her writhing, gasping for apologizes and names spilled from her lips, imagining those long gone and those left behind surrounding her, blame spewing from their lips, and hatred burned into her flesh. Their voices melding into a suffocating attack that left her grasping at her own throat in her sleep. 

The moment she awoke was startling, the last fleeting images of her Kukui grasping her throat in anger, was in fact due to her own hands. The tears fell silently, and continuously as she stumbled into the shower, murmuring the name ‘Ku” on occasion, and getting ready for the day at 4:03am.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know any suggestions, spelling mistakes, etc. in the text. I'm a Grammar Nazi, like my mother, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes.


End file.
